Various line cleats, line clamps and line roller guides have been designed to mount and receive lines on watercraft. Although effective at securing the vessel when used for anchoring or docking, for example, available cleat and clamp designs provide little if nothing at all towards protecting the outer surface of the vessel that contacts the line and connected items that can cause damage such as an anchor chain and anchor. See for example U.S. Des 291,058; U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,233,934; 3,574,900; 3,812,811; 4,361,938; 5,987,711; and 6,260,498.
Line roller guides and bowsprits that are designed specifically for anchor line use may provide some protection to the outer cosmetics of the vessel, but oftentimes mount and protrude so far from the vessel's edge that they prohibit the use of a protective boat cover unless the cover is specifically tailored to fit over them. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,082,730; 3,865,065; 4,248,171; 5,996,524; 6,843,196; 7,299,759 and U.S. Publication No. 2006/0174811;
Other extruded strips or rub rails conceived to fit over or near the gunwale of a vessel also provide protection against chaffing damage from lines, but offer limited coverage of all potential surfaces likely to be exposed to connected items that can cause damage such as anchor chain and anchors, for example. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,730,077; 6,202,585; 6,349,662; 6,733,161 and 7,685,956.